Ah, these stories have made my night. I've spent A LOT of time in the woods. My dad and uncle terrorized the living bejesus out of me when I was a kid in deer camp.

When I was 18 I decided I was going to get those S.O.B.s back for all the years of messing with my mind. I told them I was going to be late getting to camp that Friday night because I had a date. In reality I talked one of my coaches into letting me skip out of off-season baseball and headed down there. I didn't have a clue how I was going to get them back, but luckily we had had a nice little storm blow through the night before and the power hadn't been restored yet. Hid my truck about a 1/4 mile from camp and like clock work they rolled in right at dark. I put about six pots on the top of the cabinets and tied them together and ran a string to where I was hiding. When they walked in the door huffing about the power being off I yanked all those pots down and came running like a banshee. Needless to say they were back at the truck before I hit the door!

I'm not so much scared of the dark, but I am aware of my surroundings.

Last year while duck hunting on the north end of rayburn I had a nice little encounter with some meth-heads I'm assuming. Lake was real low and there were about two good spots in that area. So naturally I got there around 2:45. It was a pretty clear night, but the wind was blowing pretty good. I get settled in to take a nap for a little while when I notice little green lights moving around. I keep chalking it up to my eyes just messing with me, but it seems like they're getting closer and closer. By this time I'm on full alert. I didn't walk in with a light, nor did I have mine on so I held tight so I could try to figure it out. Hear movement behind me and then I hear "shh, dumb*** he he doesn't know we're here." Of course no cell phone service out there, and I had counted 5 lights plus the two behind me so I decide to bug out. Very quietly slipped out of there lock and loaded. Found out earlier in the year that a bunch of meth-labs were found in the area as well as a couple big marijuana growing operations. I'm assuming those little "green lights" were actually the reflection of night vision on the druggies faces.

holy resurected thread bat man!

And yes, F quail. Like little landmines going off under your feet. Scare the crap out of me. I usually deer hunt with a buddy. It's not near as scary out there if you're not alone. Funny how the mind works.

Dang Boone - did you call LEO's?

Yep, couldnt get cell reception for about 15 miles. I opened the 'ol cummins up and made it there quick. Told me they've had drug problems in the area and they'd send units and a GW to check it out. Called back and they didn't find anyone. Told me to get a CHL and carry a pistol out there.

Good advice - i need to do that (CHL)

ttt for some old fun

Exactly! In fact, I'll walk across 10,000 acres in S TX in the dead of night without a gun or flashlight and still feel safer then walking in downtown SA, Dallas, or Houston any time! I've been startled before by a group of hogs, deer jumping up, or even a rattler's buzz, but it just doesn't bother me at all.

Not sure what everyone is worried about....nothing there in the dark that is not there in the daylight.....

yeah but cant see it... thats the only problem for me... a few seasons ago I was the first of 4 hunters to be droped off by my uncle so I was way early for the morning hunt. it was a cloudy night and just about as dark as can be... I walked to the stand no problem then climed the latter still no problem then opened the door to the open top blind.... Dang big problem hoot owl was looking me eye to eye as I stuck my head up to the level of the floor of the blind and I sware she tride to cut me!!! talk about a new kinda scared right there. now every time I come to the blind in the dark a give it a real good shake to buger anything out that might be up there...

There's 12 years difference between myself and my next youngest brother. Our father's career kept him out of the country 8 months of the year, so I grew up hunting and fishing by myself.
Like most folks, I'd hear things and look over my shoulder, knowing that there was no bogey man but having to look just the same. It was like when Jaws first came out. We had a black bottom pool and after that movie I just knew there was a great white shark in there.....

Worst scare was at deer camp in northern AZ, up around the Flagstaff area. I was 16 and it was the first time I was going to be able to carry my own rifle on a hunt. I was pumped up and couldn't sleep. Dozed in and out and finally had to go to the bathroom about 2AM. It was a good 30 to 40 yards to the outhouse and just as I was reaching for the door I heard this god-awful cry that scared the crud out of me. I ended up staying in there (freezing my arse off) 'till daylight. I ran back to camp and told my uncle about the eerie sounds, how loud they were and how close. We went back over there, he looked at the tracks and determined that it was one of the free ranging burros or donkeys that were running around.

I grew up on a horse ranch, but we never had donkeys so I'd never heard that horrible braying that those little suckers can produce. I was sure it was Bigfoot at the time, and we still get a good laugh out of that one.

More recently, I bought a set of electronic ear muffs to help give me an edge in hearing while I'm heading to or coming from the blind at night. I have about a 400 yard walk to my set-up that goes through some narrow trails with thick cover on each side. The first time I used them was on a night hog hunt. I had gotten to within about 20 yards of my feeder when I could clearly hear the corn being devoured. It sounded like a 300 pounder taking some aggression out on the corn kernels. There was only one more cedar between me and the feeder and as I eased my rifle off my shoulder in preparation for stepping around the cedar and taking a shot, I heard an even bigger commotion on the trail directly behind me. And I could tell from the sound this hog must be huge and was crashing through the vegetation.

Talk about sensory overload on a of couple levels. My ears were telling me that I had large hogs in front and behind me, my mind was going over the potential for injuries and the distance to my truck, my heart was telling me about all the adrenalin it was dumping into my system and my stomach was telling to make a decision or it would immediately begin a conference call with my bowels. I went with the known location and stepped around the cedar to try to eliminate one of the potential attackers before turning my attention to the one on the trail. That little bandit face didn't compute with the vision of a large hog that I had in my mind. It took what seemed like a full 3 seconds for me to realize it was just a coon and then I whirled around to face what was coming up the trail. And sure enough it was huge. The biggest, dopiest looking longhorn on his way to my feeder. He just stopped and looked at me and headed off another way.

I have not used those ear muffs since. It is just too hard to judge what I'm hearing. I would have bet my AR10 that night that there was a huge hog at my feeder and not a 15Lb coon. Plus as sneaky as I tried to be, through the ear muffs it sounded like I was trying to make as much noise as possible. It was a little disappointing to realize that no matter how good of an 'injun one is, with an animal's keener hearing we're not as stealthy as we think.

I cracked up reading this. Me and a buddy were in a canoe once with him steering in the back. Somehow we ended up kind of close to the bank with lots of low overhanging trees. Same exact thing happened....huge spider web with a spider, I SWEAR, the size of Texas in it. I did that same dance and capsized our canoe. All our food and one paddle went floating down the Llano never to be seen again. Ended up being a pretty lousy night with all our clothes soaking wet and no food. But, to this day, we just mention that and we'll both start laughing like crazy.

I thought this would be a good one to re-vamp along with the hibbie jibbies post.

I don't see what the big deal is?...Nothing there in the dark that's not there in the light....